Red Bird, Black Bird
by ravnesque
Summary: A series of teasing oneshots between Red X (Jason Todd) and Raven. Mostly snarky dialogue and secret meetups, but some fluff could appear in later chapters...
1. Haircut

_completely inspired by this: post/72806300697/i-love-when-you-give-raven-a-new-hairstyle-can_

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"An act of rebellion."

"A haircut."

"A haircut… of _rebellion_."

Raven couldn't help an eyeroll. "If I wanted unintelligent comments, I would be with Beast Boy."

Jason lowered his index finger, a small smirk playing his face. His little bird usually didn't stray from her teammates. This surprise visit to his lair, with a hot new look, was quite an exhilaration. She'd shaved the right lateral side of her head, half a pixie cut, fluffed into full pompadour that fell over her left eye. Hanging her cloak over his bedpost, she wandered into his lap.

Long fingers traced over the peach fuzz that covered her skull. She watched his face closely as he observed her bangs. The absence of her typical flat, standard haircut made her face appear sharply contoured, and her unimpressed eyes fierce. Add the natural sexy roll in her voice, the mistress of magic was more irresistible than ever. Of course, Red X, the conceited, snarky villain he was, would never tell her just how smoking hot she was.

"Raven, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

She interpreted without a blink. "Well, that's fine." She untangled her body from his, leaning against the bedpost and facing the opposite wall. His lack of kindness was something she'd grown accustom to, but that meant she wasn't always satisfied. Adding a subtle huff, Raven continued. "I did it because it pleases _me_."

Growling with desire, Jason leaned in over, giving the nape of her neck a long kiss. "You please yourself?" He teased, the taunting words tangling into her hair.

"Well, _someone_ has to."

Jason ghosted briefly at her insult, before a wave of greed overwhelmed every inch of his body. Kissing down the right of her torso, his mouth found a gentle home just below her hips. " _Please_ , Vennie." His voice was velvet, brushing her senses with a luxurious touch. "Leave the _pleasuring_ up to me."

Ashen hands found their way into his hair, tugging the roots north, closer to her core. Jason growled with satisfaction, as breathy words fell from her lips.

 _"All right, Jason… Show me how it's done."_

* * *

 _a/n: I don't drabble much in RaeX but I do have a guilty pleasure for the pairing... This compilation will likely be updated very infrequently, so I apologize in advance! As always, if there's something you'd like to see written for these characters, just drop me a message on Tumblr (glitterbender), leave a review, or PM! Reviews and nice comments are always appreciated but please no flames._

 _Thanks so much for the read, friends. (: xoxo!_


	2. Stealing

_woah haven't updated this in a while... sorry guys! here's a couple drabbles i haven't uploaded yet._

 _also, thinking of changing the title of this collection, just a heads up. ^^_

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"Well well well, who do we have here?"

Before his eyes stood a petite figure. Her eyes blazed like lilac fire. Sweet snowflakes that adorned her lavender tresses were melting quickly. The Titan's sorceress wore a cape, unique to any he'd seen her in before. It was a winter cape, a rich ebony and falling barely above her knees. It had two slits where her arms peeked out, pale hands folded neatly over her stomach. He imagined she had her uniform leotard on underneath. To top off her wintery style, black stockings were pulled over her knees and stopped mid thigh. Licking his lips, the villain trailed his eyes up her silhouette to met her eyes.

"You stole something."

"Well you're no Dick Grayson." Red X snorted, leaning on the heel of his right hand with laze. "That's kinda my specialty, sweetheart."

"Cut the crap, X." Raven's snapped, taking another step into his dark room.

She'd been sensing his affection for her since the first time they'd battled, of course it was solely superficial. Since then, he'd robbed more luxury jewelrias in Jump City than any other villain. It was as if he was playing cat and mouse with the Titans, chasing them with his petty, minor crimes. Although his crimes were an annoyance more than anything, he'd become top priority in Robin's eyes, a prime suspect for anything and everything that seemed even a hint nefarious. Unmasking the snarky villain had become Robin's most recent obsession, and although she hadn't said it, it was Raven's as well.

"This time it's personal," The sorceress hissed, folding her arms over her chest. She'd been grateful for her wool winter garment when she'd left the tower, but now, under the heat of his masked stare and overheated blackroom-bedroom-the sorceress was roasting. Tugging at her turtleneck, she continued.

"What, you want it back?" Red X teased, still lounging in his reclining leather throne. "Don't tell me it was your first," he leaned forward, eyes narrowing. Although subtle, Red X saw her shift her weight as her opened her mouth to counter.

"I-"

"It was, wasn't it." Red X straightened completely, trying to mask his surprise. His efforts were futile and once the waves of his emotions had hit the empath, an onyx orb formed at her dainty fingers. But he couldn't help his wide eyes and sudden interest. Pretty little thing like her…. He pondered. Standing, Red X began to approach the petite sorceress, calculating as always. After all, out of all the Titans, she was the only real threat to him.

"It's okay, Raven." His voice was suddenly luxurious, tender, and almost sympathetic. "Nothing to be ashamed of." He continued, circling her like a shark to his prey. "So, then just tell me this. Why are you here?" He paused at her back, leaning forward so his lips tickled her ear. His whispered tugged at the back of her neck and Raven felt her spine stiffen.

"Or _at least_ tell me what's under that cloak."

The sorceress kept silent, he couldn't even hear the sound of an obvious irate exhale. Truthfully, Raven didn't know why she'd come to him. Finding Red X had been an effort of incredible investment; she'd had to locate his soul without being caught which meant she'd been focusing on his particular energy since their battle almost ten hours earlier that day.

"Vennie, sweetie," Red X laughed, placing his hands on her shoulders. She could set his bedroom ablaze, disintegrate him in a second, or perhaps swallow his soul. But he knew she wouldn't; he had something she wanted.

"I can't give you what you want back," he rubbed his cheek, fingertips tapping at his chin in feigned thought. "I can give you... _another_ if you'd like-"

"Touch my lips again and it'll be the last thing you do." Came the razor sharp reply. Thankful she couldn't see him, Red X smiled. He was learning to love her voice, that gravelly flat line that could spike without a second's notice. She was gorgeous, she was sexy, and she was lethal.

Everything he'd ever wanted in a woman.

"So what exactly do you want?" Red X crossed his arms. "My patience is running thin, Sorceress."

Raven ran her tongue over her lips. She was proud of herself for finding the infamous thief but still couldn't quite figure out why she'd come. She knew she should be condemning him for snaffling her ever so precious first kiss but another piece of her desperately wished she didn't care. Never did the empath imagine herself as a romantic and she didn't have to have empathetic abilities to know Red X wasn't. Finally she knew why she had hunted him down. If she wanted her vengeance, it would have to be same medium as his crime.

"I.. I want to take something from you." Her gravelly voice quickly shutout her inherent tendency to falter. Smoothing back her tousled lavender waves and straightening her posture, she added. "I will take something from you."

Red X chuckled. Her determination was… cute. "I'd love to help you, truly. But I'm afraid I've exhausted my firsts."

"There's bound to be something." She retorted. Funny, he was usually the cat and she the mouse. But today, the sorceress was on the prowl, and her hunt wasn't about to end in anything but victory.

Red X cocked his head in feigned thought. In the past twenty seconds, Raven's attitude had somehow changed. The girl was desperate to take from him, which was almost comical in lieu of the fact that everything he could possible want was from her. Folding his X mask upward so his lips were exposed, he continued with a smirk.

"I'm sure we can figure something out."

The corner of Raven's lips tugged upward as she unfastened the large black buttons of her winter cape. Red X rounded to her backside and slipped the thick wool from her shoulders. Seconds later, a wave of shock emitted from the villian's mind, and he gasped. She definitely was not wearing her uniform. Recovering from his gaping stare, Red X tried to save face but it was no use. He was trapped.

Lifting her chin over her shoulder, Raven slipped him a sly look.

Perfect.

"What, no witty remark? Shame…" Raven snickered as she watched him unmask. "You didn't think you were the only one who aware of our little game, did you Jason?"

Jason licked his lips. She really _was_ everything he ever wanted.


	3. Kiss Meme

"Stop it, Vennie…. Hey, I _said stop_."

Cool hands froze over his swollen wrist, frozen with irritation and concern. Her rigid, wary glare dared him to speak again, but Jason had never been one for rules.

"Enough, Raven." His voice lowered. Though usually opposed to speaking so gruffly her direction, she hadn't given him many other options. He'd tried to catch her attention before, but her hidden stubbornness was making a nagging appearance.

Upon hearing her full name, the empath paused. The gentle, healing glow surrounding her fingertips had dissipated, though as long as her skin was in contact with his, she could continue to heal him, perhaps more subtly this time.

"You act like you like putting your life in danger." Her voice remained level, though it was clear she could snap at any time - something they both wanted to avoid.

"Maybe I do," he retorted, feeling the pain ebbing away slowly. He knew exactly what her sly, though good willed intent was; it couldn't be helped. Raven was, well, empathetic; meaning she would always do what she could to relieve his pain. It was her nature.

"Look," Raven sighed, absorbing the dull throbbing of the sprain. "I'm just saying you should be more careful, alright? You're not immortal."

"Yeah?" At that, the boy perked, a snide smirk tugging at his lips. "We don't know that."

The girl blanched.

" _You seriously want to test that theory?_ " Instantaneously, her blank expression morphed into one of pure frustration. Crystalline violet irises smoldered with white hot power, as his teasing words pulsated through her nerves.

"Raven," Jason frowned. 'It's okay.. I was only kidding." Aquamarine eyes searched hers, which seemed to be loosing their charge quickly. He knew better than to try and lighten the mood, but he could never help himself.

"I'm sorry… alright?"

Raven swallowed, staring at the wrinkled mattress between them. His hands, made for fighting and pulling triggers, now combed her locks back gently, soothingly. Resisting his touch with a certain resolve, the empath fought the ragged lump in her throat. She only wanted him to be more cautious with his life.. She didn't want him to meet Trigon anytime soon, and at the rate he was going, he'd be in the demon lord's presence before her.

She was about to rant at him again, when something touched her forehead.

She wouldn't even have realized what it was, it it weren't for how his breath lingered over her chakra. More wispy touches traveled along her hairline, pausing briefly over her cheekbone. His lips slid along her cheekbone, until they rested at the corner of her lips. He seemed to have relaxed her, as she let him press a brief kiss to her lips.

"I… I just…"

"I know." Jason sighed, resting his chin on her head. "I'll be more careful."

"You'd better."

Raven advised wistfully, burying her fingers into the stained cotton of his long john shirt. Pressing her nose to the soft fabric, his comforting scent overwhelmed her senses, giving her a moment's peace.

"Else I'll have to kill you myself."


	4. Meeting at a Festival

"Hey, stop looking at me."

"That's stealing–you're stealing"

"Stealing, eh?" He shrugged, pocketing another Ren-Fest jewel. "Never heard of such a thing."

Sarcastic; one point for the thief. Raven frowned, sweeping long hair over her right shoulder. Emerging from the shadows, the thief allowed the jovial carnival lights to reveal his face. Easy on the eyes; another point. The troublemaker, with a small red x stitched at the lapel of his black tee. Dark hair and aquamarine eyes; a dangerous amusement playing his features. His strong jaw was turned up in confidence, a relaxed sway to his saunter.

"Criminal activity at the Renaissance Festival?" Raven shook her head, chakra catching the same light that illuminated the boy. "I should have your head for that."

Usually she wouldn't engage in conversation with a complete stranger, but this young man was thoroughly intriguing. Perhaps it was his casual wit, or the dark streak that she saw in herself. Or maybe it was just that gorgeous sparkle in his eyes.

"I don't see a guillotine," He grinned. "Besides, maybe I'm concerned about your crime." Her face paled in confusion. "Withholding evidence." Raven rolled her eyes, feeling warmth flush her cheeks. "Got a name?" Keeping her lips light, the brunette beauty cocked a brow at the minor criminal. "Hot Renaissance Babe it is."

"It's Raven." She couldn't allow herself to fall under a superficial label. "Yours?"

"Todd, Jason Todd." He toyed with her name, trying to find a personal handle for his newest interest. Stealing objects was nothing, but something told him this girl's affection was more guarded than the first prize table at a Renaissance Festival. And besides, it was something he wanted to earn, to win. "Raven, Rae..ven.. A pretty bird, Vennie."

A unique nickname? Half a point… Well, point three….

"Listen, Vennie. You seem like a nice girl. Not sure how nice…" He eyed the glint in her deep plum eyes and noted her sarcastic scoff. "But nice enough. C'mon, I'll win you a prize."

"Don't you mean steal me a prize?"

"Hey, if you insist."


	5. The Nervous Game

"Funny, thought you'd be better at that game."

"I survived, didn't I?"

A smirk.

"And I got the prize."

Raven shook her head, licking her lips at the memory. Leaning lazily against his chestnut headboard, the sorceress closed her eyes.

"That you did, Jason."

A smile stretched over his face, and he lifted a leg over her hips. Crawling closer to straddle her waist, he pressed his hands on the headboard, just above her narrow shoulders.

"Alright Vennie, your turn."

A skeptical brow arched at the enclosing villain. "Really?" He nodded, lips hovering over her chakra. His breath was warm with greed and Raven reminded herself of his villainous tendencies. Shrugging, she half opening her amethyst eyes and he began.

Lips pressing to her smooth ivory skin, X led a trail of kisses vertically down her front. Taking his time, he delivered a kiss to the tip of her nose, then to the curve of her Cupid's bow. Finally reaching her lips, Jason lingered.

"Mmm- Jason," her lids fell closed. "This isn't how you play."

"I don't play by the rules." His knees dug closer to her hips.

"Right," She scoffed, leaning forward to nudge him away with her lips. "Get on with it, bad boy."

Narrowing his eyes, Jason tried to expel the blush from his sharp cheeks. Deciding it was best to avoid more of her snide comments, he continued to trail his lips down the middle of her body. Brushing lightly over her neck, Jason found the sorceress's skin feverish at his touch, despite her unamused expression.

Pausing at her sternum, Jason tried to remain gruff.

"Nervous yet?"

Raven blinked,finding a curious hesitation amidst his aquamarine eyes.

"Course not."

Leaning closer, Red X worked his lips quickly between her chest, wanting so desperately to stop here, and knowing he couldn't. That wasn't the game. Ignoring the flush on his face, the villain continued to down the small groove of her stomach, feeling toned muscles expand and retract with her shortened breaths. She wouldn't last much longer.

"Almost there." She mumbled, lacing her fingers around his wrists, now firm against the curve of her waist.

Pause. "What was that?"

"I said keep going." Pulling herself closer to him, his lips persisted to press light kisses beneath her belly button. Her back arched helplessly at his touch; he'd finally reached the destination.

Raven's straight face finally softened.

"You've got nerves of steel," Jason growled, lips hovering over their reached destination. "Now what?" Aquamarine eyes peeked at hers, feigning patience as she rested her leg over his broad shoulder.

"What do you think?" Raven wet her lips again. "I get my prize."


	6. Movies & Manners

Damn that lace nightgown, who covered her with coy modesty.

Dark silk loops twirled over her satin skin carelessly, not at all shy. Black thread fitted neatly over her chest, then released her from its silken hold once it reached her navel. Satin ribbon played hopscotch over her back, loosely knotted just over her backside. A lavender braid was coming undone, tousled waves hanging beside the sharp curves of her cheekbones.

A blurred waltz hummed in the background. Tuxedo tails and chiffon skirts swirled over chestnut wood. The essence of the 1850s all but ignored.

"Jason," Raven pressed a hand over his, which was currently tracing the lace over her ribs. "We never make it through the whole movie," she complained, the end of her sentence a slight moan, though her eyes still reflected the twirling couples on the screen.

The villain grinned, pleased that he'd finally captured her attention. "Mhmm," He kissed the top of her right shoulder, where the satin strap had slipped off yet again. His lips were warm against her delicate skin, and Raven shivered. He reached her front, tilting her chin back to face him. Finding the corner of her mouth in the dark, Red X began trailing kisses down her neck, gently rousing her.

"It's rude to start a movie with someone and not finish it."

"And you're so polite, aren't you Raven." He scoffed, and amethyst eyes glinted in irritation.

" _Thank you,_ Jason."

Red X sighed at her mock courtesy, trailing his fingertips over the curve of her spine. Tugging mindlessly at the satin string, he'd managed to undo the knot. Placing a gentle hand at her lower back, his fingers twittered over her smooth skin, to the beat of the Waldteufel in the distance.

"The film, X," came her gravelly voice, a teasing pull beneath her seriousness. "You said you wanted to watch this one," she sighed, pulling her thin black strap back over her right clavicle.

"Yeah," Feather-light kisses had wrapped from beneath her ear to the nape of her neck, then traveling downward, between her shoulder blades. Another wave of shivers danced over her skin. "But I find youmuch more interesting," he whispered, breath tickling her spine. She turned to face him in full, the low rumble in his voice holding her captive.

"That's a _compliment_ , Raven."

His lips trailed to the corner of her mouth, waiting for her signal. Once his aquamarine eyes settled onto hers, he knew she'd fallen prey. A wordless desire radiated from her supple lips, and his mouth slipped between her collarbones, forcing her chin upward.

The strap of her lace nightie fell from her thin shoulders once more. French triple meter intensified. But Raven hadn't forgotten her manners.

" _Thank you, Jason_."


	7. College AU 1

The rules of the hallway were simple.

Well, so she thought.

"Woah! _Hey_ ," a large, calloused palm grasped the small of her back, fingers curling intimately into her waist, offering the stable balance that her tiny grey heels couldn't provide. "Sorry. Didn't see you there."

"Right." Came the muttered reply, bitter as the black contents of the Styrofoam cup that had splattered everywhere not ten seconds before. Wiggling the scalding liquid from her fingers, another pettish mumble escaped beneath her breath. " _Third time this week."_

Raven frowned, craning her neck awkwardly to avoid coming face to face with her hall mate's bare torso, instead focusing on the bright red letters "TODD," stitched onto his left pant leg.

It was common courtesy to know and follow the flow of the hallway; always stay to your right, or the right side of the hallway. It didn't matter the specific destination, whether it be the exit stairwell or the restroom, staying to the right made run-ins like these one hundred percent avoidable.

Before she knew it, Raven was rolling her eyes and tousled lavender locks were falling into her face as she continued to avoid eye contact with the boy. Wriggling uncomfortably from his lingering hold, she mentally barraged herself for choosing today to wear a an oversized black t-shirt and pass it off as a dress, as she bent to quickly gather her scattered items to avoid another tardy to her 8:00am.

"Charcoal, eh?" He'd beat her to the task, straightening up slowly so he could hold the sleek black tips to the fluorescent lighting. A metallic shimmer caught his eye as he found her name embossed on the end of the onyx pencil. Holding it just above her reach, he couldn't help a small smirk at he prodded her nerves. The girl was kind of cute when she was utterly annoyed with him, which seemed to be more often than not. "Wouldn't have taken you for the artsy type, Raven."

Arched brows creased further as she snatched her supplies and shoved them into the side pocket of her backpack. "Yeah, well I wouldn't have taken you for being blind _and_ dumb, Todd." She retorted, not bothering to keep the venom from her voice. "Guess we were both wrong."

It wasn't that she had a particular dislike for him; truth be told, she found her hall mate sort of attractive. Maybe it was the way his grey sweats slouched haphazardly around his hips, or the 5 o'clock shadow and messy raven haired bedhead with the cute white streaks by his forehead, but whatever physicality that made this boy so damn attractive went out the window every morning at 7:43am when she was rushing to class and he to the restroom.

"Ouch," he teased like his feelings had been bruised, "And it's actually Jason. _Jason_ Todd. Nice try though," his words trailed into a yawn, as he stretched a lazy arm behind his head to press down his wild locks. "Not a morning person?"

Ignoring the slight embarrassment, Raven pushed the name - slip from her mind. "Not a _late_ person," she corrected coldly, crossing her legs at the ankles and catching the time on her watch. Late as she was, Raven was still regrettably stubborn, and absolutely refused to move from the designated path just because some idiot couldn't follow the simple hallway mannerisms.

Besides, it was only 7:46am.

"Well, you better get going then." He yawned again, placing his hands on his hips and cocking his stance casually. Blinking expectantly at the girl, aquamarine irises narrowed in suspicious curiosity as she stood firm in her ankle booties.

"I'm trying," Raven stated, holding desperately to her toneless aura. But staying unaffected was proving more and more difficult the longer the boy stared at her, and she could feel heat rising in her cheeks as the natural gravel to her voice made the threat for sounding meek all the more likely. "Y-you're in my way."

"Eh?"

"Y-you're supposed to walk on the right side of the hallway so you don't bump into people." Her voice was loosing its edge, amethyst eyes turning downward. Biting the inside of her cheek, she cursed herself for sounding at all like a shy schoolgirl. All she wanted was to make it to drawing class on time, just _once_ , without spilling her tea and breaking all the lead in her pencils.

"I am, am I?" An amused glint twinkled in his eye; the boy shrugged and the divots above his collarbones deepened. "Well, I've never been one for rules."

"Look," Raven swallowed, slowly raising her glare to meet his irritatingly relaxed one. "Just because you're some seven inches taller than me, doesn't mean you can go around and knock people over." Her voice strained as the words tumbled out faster, and she dug her nails into her empty Styrofoam cup. Snapping her head to the side, lavender locks flew as she lifted her chin to stare at the blank bulletin. "Just… stay on your side of the hall!"

"So…." Jason frowned, placing his chin between his thumb and index finger quizzically. It was taking more willpower than he'd expected to keep from chuckling at this adorable tizzy fit his usually composed colleague was throwing.

"What you're saying is that you want me to keep an eye out for you?"

The shy warmth that had kindled beneath her cheekbones suddenly flared into two scarlet blushes. Glassy amethyst eyes pooled and her mouth fell open as she heard the implications of her request. "Wait, you don't think that I'm asking you to _notice_ me, do you?"

"Don't worry, Raven." Smirking with his trademark smolder, Jason stepped to the side and gestured for her to pass in some grand motion. Setting his alarm for 7:40am each morning was _definitely_ worth it.

Teetering as she passed by, fierce amethyst never left aquamarine, and Jason felt his heart skip a beat.

"I already _have_."


End file.
